It’s going to be a busy day at Betsy Ross house in Philadelphia on Thursday. She won’t be there, since she died in 1836, but hundreds of tourists will be going through her house.
You see, Thursday is Flag Day in the United States. The unofficial holiday commemorates the adoption of the stars-and-stripes design of the American flag by the Continental Congress 235 years ago, on June 14, 1777. According to lore, the Ross House is the birthplace of the nation’s flag. That’s open to debate, but it’s a story that schoolbooks still tell. Betsy Ross was a seamstress, busy sewing cushions for chairs in Philadelphia, which was the focus place of the American revolution against British rule. The Declaration of Independence by the colonists was signed there, and so was the new nation’s Constitution after independence was won.
Widowed when her husband, a member of the local militia, was killed in a gunpowder explosion, Betsy Ross often mended the clothes of the rebels’ leader and future U.S. president, George Washington. According to what some say in history and others a stretch of what really happened, Washington asked Ross to design and sew the new nation’s flag. The story was promoted by Ross grandson, who wrote that Betsy Ross had “made with her hands the first flag.” She became a role model for girls - a shining example of women’s contributions to the nation’s history. Most research indicates that Ross did sew the first flag. She’s credited with substituting artful five-point white stars for six-pointed ones in the upper-left blue field. But many other accounts indicate George Washington brought the design to Ross and simply asked her to stitch it together.
In a letter, Washington wrote: “We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her. And the white stripes shall go down to posterity as representing liberty.” People would like to go to Ross’s house in Philadelphia to _____.
| A．ask Betsy Ross who created the first American flag |
| B．meet her grandson who wrote a book about flags |
| C．debate over who designed the first American flag |
| D．remember her as the creator of the first American flag |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．Betsy Ross was one of the people who signed The Declaration of Independence |
| B．All are in agreement that Ross designed the first American flag |
| C．It is almost certain that Ross did sew the first American flag |
| D．It is George Washington who designed the stars and stripes flag |
The underlined the word “seamstress” in Paragraph 2 probably means_____.
| A．a person who designs flags |
| B．a person who makes a living by sewing |
| C．a person who takes part in revolution |
| D．a person who creates chairs |
What does the last paragraph imply according to the passage?
| A．It implies that the U.S. is independent from Britain |
| B．It implies that Washington liked Ross’s design of the flag |
| C．It implies that Washington might be the designer of the flag |
| D．It implies that Ross did have helped with the design of the flag |
While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had an experience which occurred merely two feet away from me.
Trying to locate my friend among the passengers coming through the jet way, I noticed a man walking toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.
First he kissed his three children one by one and said, “It’s nice to see you. I missed you so much!” Then he hugged his wife, “I’ve saved the best for last!” giving her the longest, most passionate (热情的) kiss I ever remember seeing. They stared at each other’s eyes, smiling at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be.
Full of admiration, I asked, “Wow! How long have you two been married?” “Being together for fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” He replied, without breaking his stare from his lovely wife’s face. “Well, then, how long have you been away?” I asked. “Two whole days!” “Two days?” I was astonished. By the intensity (热烈) of the greeting, I had thought he’d been gone for at least several weeks — if not months. I knew my expression gave away me, so I turned away my eyes and said quietly, “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after so long!”
The man suddenly stopped smiling and looked at me straight in the eye. With forcefulness he told me something that left me a different person. “Don’t hope, friend…decide!” Then he smiled again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”
With that, he and his family turned and walked away together.
I was still watching that man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, “What are you looking at?” Without hesitation, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, “My future!”The best title of the passage may be __________.
| A．Long Loving Hugs | B．My Future |
| C．Love Is Everywhere | D．Don’t Hope, Decide |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It was fourteen years since the couple had got married. |
| B．After being away for several weeks, the man missed his family very much. |
| C．The man replied to the author, with his eyes still fixed on his wife’s face. |
| D．Their three kids reminded the author of newlyweds. |
By saying “my expression gave away me” （in Paragraph 4）, the author means that __________.
| A．he failed to express his ideas to the man |
| B．his expression was not faithful to him |
| C．he didn’t believe in his expression any more |
| D．the man sensed his real feelings from his expression |
From the passage, we can infer that __________.
| A．the author will live a passionate life from now on |
| B．the experience may be easily forgotten by the author |
| C．the author will be away from his family and hug them passionately upon his return |
| D．Americans prefer to save the best for last |
“Old wives’ tales” are beliefs passed down from one generation to another. For example，most of us remember our parents’ telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things. Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking，but others have not passed the test of time.
Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called macular degeneration. Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this disease by 40%. Garlic is good for you，too. It can kill the type of virus that causes colds.
Unfortunately, not all of Mom’s advice passed the test of medical studies. For example, generations of children have been told not to go swimming within an hour after eating. But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so. Do sweets cause tooth problems？Well, yes and no. Sticky sweets made with grains(谷物) tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars.
Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold_water,_there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales. After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated (积累) from thousands of years of experience in family health care. We should respect this body of knowledge even as we search for clear scientific support to prove it true or false.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Sticky sweets are damaging to our teeth. |
| B．Eating garlic is good for our eyes. |
| C．Swimming after a meal is dangerous. |
| D．Carrots prevent people from catching colds. |
The author develops the third paragraph mainly________.
| A．by cause and effect | B．by order in space |
| C．by examples | D．by order in time |
The phrase“ hold water” in the last paragraph most probably means“________”．
| A．to be valuable | B．to be believable |
| C．to be admirable | D．to be suitable |
What is the author’s attitude towards“old wives’ tales”in the text?
| A．Subjective(主观的). | B．Objective(客观的). | C．Dissatisfied. | D．Curious. |
Of all the things our wisdom tells us will make life entirely happy, the greatest is the possession of friendship. One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
On the first Sunday in August, it’s time to recognize your friends and their contribution to your life. The first Sunday in August was fixed as National Friendship Day by the U.S. Congress in 1935, and remains a tradition observed in many countries and cultures. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world’s Ambassador of Friendship.
Apparently, there are several friendship holidays, all of which fall on fixed dates.
National Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August
Women’s Friendship Day is on the third Sunday in September
International Friendship Month is February
Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May
People show their appreciation for friendship in various ways. Some expressions may be practical ones, such as flowers, particularly the pink friendship roses, cookies, chocolates, souvenirs from their vacations, a tape of favorite songs, farewell dinners, and welcome balloons.
Recipe for Friendship 2 cups of patience, 1 heart full of love, 2 handfuls of generosity, 2 cups of loyalty, 1 cup of understanding, A dash of laughter. Mix them all well. Spray generously over a lifetime and serve everyone you meet.
Friendship helps to bring peace and positivity to the globe, another great reason to celebrate! Although our friends certainly deserve thanks on more than just one day of the year, what better day to honor them than Friendship Day!!Which of the following proverbs supports the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．Friendship cannot stand always on one side. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．A friend without faults will never be found. |
| D．A life without a friend is a life without a sun. |
Which of the holidays happens first in a year?
| A．National Friendship Day. | B．Women’s Friendship Day. |
| C．International Friendship Month. | D．Old Friends, New Friends Week. |
What is most needed to make friendship grow, develop and last?
| A．Inviting your friends over for a party. |
| B．Looking on your friends as relatives. |
| C．Honoring your friends on Friendship Day. |
| D．Being loyal and generous to your friends. |
“Recipe for Friendship” here actually means .
| A．a prescription for curing friends | B．a method of keeping a friendship |
| C．the pleasure of having friends | D．the importance of friendship |
How to protect children Web fans from unsuitable material on-line while encouraging them to use the Internet has long been discussed in the US.
For some parents, the Internet can seem like a jungle, filled with danger for their children. But jungles contain wonders as well as danger. With good guides, some education, and a few precautions(预防 ), the wilds of the Internet can be safely navigated. “Kids have to be on-line. If we tell our kids they can’t be allowed to surf the Internet, we’re cutting them off from their future,” said an expert.
Most kids have started to use search engines. Many of them are great for finding tons of interesting Internet sites, and they can also locate places where you might not want your kids to go. There are search engines designed just for kids. A certain software contains only sites that have been selected as safe. The most popular way would be to use what is known as a “content screener”. But this can’t be wholly reliable(可靠 ), and the best thing parents can do is to talk to their kids and let them know what is OK or not OK to see or do on the Internet. Another way is that mum or dad is nearby when the child is surfing the Internet.
A few other tips:
—Do not put the PC in a child’s room but keep it in an area where mum or dad can keep an eye on things. That also makes the Internet more of a family activity.
—Ask your child what he or she has been doing and about any friends they make on-line.
―Tell your child not to give on-line strangers personal information, especially like address and phone number.
And tell your children never to talk to anyone they meet on-line over the phone, send them anything, accept anything from them or agree to meet with them unless you go along.What is the best way to protect children from improper material?
| A．To talk to the children and persuade them to tell right from wrong. |
| B．To be nearby when the children are surfing the Internet. |
| C．To fix a content screener on the computer. |
| D．To buy some search engines for children. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Surfing the Internet is the best way of educating children. |
| B．Using a content screener is most reliable for keeping children from having ways to the Internet. |
| C．Searching engines can help children to select materials fit for them. |
| D．Children’s not having chances to go to the Internet may have effect on their progress. |
According to the passage, we can infer that ____.
| A．softwares that are fit for children who want programming |
| B．the Internet contains a lot of harmful sites |
| C．the Internet will be protected by law |
| D．a child who is on-line is in danger |
What does the passage tell us most?
| A．Education | B．Good guides | C．Precautions | D．Software |
A lawyer and a young lady were sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer asked if she would like to play a fun game. The lady just wanted to take a nap, so she politely refused.
The lawyer explained that the game was actually very easy. He explained “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me, and vice versa（反之亦然）.” Again, the lady politely refused and tried to get some sleep.
The lawyer added eagerly, “Okay, if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $50!” Considering that there would be no end to this suffering unless she played, the lady agreed.
The lawyer asked the first question, “What is the distance from the earth to the moon?” The young lady didn't say a word, pulled out five dollars from her purse and handed it to the lawyer.
Now, it was the lady’s turn. She asked the lawyer, “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?” The lawyer was greatly puzzled. He took out his computer and searched all of his references. He searched the Net and sent e-mails to all of his friends, but it was all to no avail. After over an hour, he woke up the lady and handed her $50. The lady politely took the money and turned away to get back to sleep.
The lawyer, very puzzled now, woke the lady up again and asked, “Well, what on earth is the answer?” Without a word, the lady reached into her purse, handed the lawyer another $5 and went back to sleep.The lawyer tried to persuade the lady to play the game because he .
| A．knew he could win |
| B．wanted to have fun with the lady |
| C．wanted to lose money to her |
| D．liked to chat with young ladies |
Which of the following best describes the meaning of the underlined words?
| A．No messages arrived | B．No one could help him |
| C．The Net failed to work | D．Nobody answered his e-mails |
We may infer from the story that .
| A．the lawyer and the lady used to be lovers. |
| B．there was no answer to the lady’s question. |
| C．the lady didn't like playing games with strangers. |
| D．the lawyer was too stupid to answer the question. |
The author’s purpose for writing the story is to .
| A．tell us how clever the lady is |
| B．describe the rules of playing games |
| C．show that it is interesting to play games |
| D．make fun of the lawyer |